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 Sr.
Mary Petra Flavin, OP
Diamond Jubilarian
60 years (July 9, 1947)
Growing up living behind the convent of St. Lawrence School in Pittsburgh, the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs were the only Sisters she had ever known. And, becoming a Dominican Sister was the only thing she had ever wanted to do with her life. Celebrating 60 years as a Springs Dominican, Sr. Mary Petra Flavin reflects that it was the best decision she had ever made.
In the first 20 years of her ministry as a Dominican, Sr. Mary Petra honed her education skills teaching grade school in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York. In 1967, she came to St. Thomas the Apostle School in Columbus to be principal – a position for which she is now best known and the one she came to cherish most over the years.
From the very beginning of her 33 years in ministry at St. Thomas, Sr. Mary Petra was more than just a principal. In her first two years, she was concurrently a teacher, and then went on to play the roles of an entire office staff – secretary, bookkeeper, fundraising director, and occasional substitute teacher – along with her duties as principal. She was also an active member of the parish and a recognizable figure in the neighborhood. Over the years, Sr. Mary Petra was honored several times for her work at St. Thomas, and some of her more notable accomplishments included starting a kindergarten at the school and initiating a latchkey program for children of working parents.
Leaving St. Thomas was bittersweet for Sr. Mary Petra. While she says she felt it was time for her to retire, it was hard to leave behind the wonderful community of staff, parents, parishioners, and children she had grown to love. "I especially loved being with the kids – I have such wonderful memories of ballgames, picnics in the convent backyard, seeing the kids all dressed up for Halloween, Christmas parties…. But even just the day-to-day working with them was so nice," she shares. "I miss the children the most."
Since her retirement in 2000, Sr. Mary Petra has kept busy with volunteering at St. Mary of the Springs in the gift shop, at the reception desks, doing holiday decorating and helping with other projects as she is needed. Reflecting on her 60 years in religious life, she exclaims, "They've been happy, joyful, wonderful years!" |
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